


Sold To The Highest Bidder

by MoonbeamDancer



Category: X-Men (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-17
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 08:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/595554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonbeamDancer/pseuds/MoonbeamDancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidnapped at a young age, Rogue is brought into and trained for the life of an assassin. It's all she knows and she can't even really remember who she is really supposed to be anymore. Logan left when Victor started running their auction house like this, can he help Rogue remember herself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sold To The Highest Bidder

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2012 X-MEN Reverse Bang on LJ. Selene2 did the art for it, go look at her journal for it.
> 
> It's been a damn long time since I've written anything for the X-MEN fandom, hopefully I'm not too rusty. I had a lot of fun writing this story, I struggled with it at points, but I still enjoyed it. Also, I know that Rogue's real name has been revealed in the comics, but I felt like playing around with it for the story, hope y'all enjoy anyway.

"Lot 914. Three girls, and two boys." The man read off of the paperwork. He glanced up as the children were brought in. The youngest, one of the girls, looked to be around three or four and the oldest, one of the boys, no more then eight or nine. All of them mutants, all the girls had brown hair, the boys were blond, and eye colors were a mix of brown and hazel. with one child being blue gray. The youngest was kept separate from the others. They tended to shy away from her, like being around her was dangerous or something. All the children were filthy and they looked like they hadn't eaten in days. They were checked over by the auction house's doctors and fed while their paperwork was processed. They were shown to a room and it was decided what they would be trained and sold for.

"The little girl, the one they leave alone, send her up to Emma. According to her paperwork, she's the one Victor wants." One of the processors said. "Be careful, she can absorb your life force with skin to skin contact."   
Another processor nodded, and after seeing if she had a name, went to get her, file in hand.  
"Victoria." She called, knocking on the door. After a moment, she unlocked the door and went in. "I need Victoria." The other children pushed Victoria forward, touching her as little as possible.  
"Come with me." the woman said to her. They left the room, the woman locking the door behind her.  
"You're lucky kid. You've been singled out by our boss for assassin training." The four year old stared wordlessly at her, fear in her eyes. She was dressed in footie pajamas with kitties all over them, must have been taken from her bed. "I'll be taking you to see Emma, she'll be in charge of some of your training I believe. Listen to her and you'll go far kid."

Victoria just nodded. The woman knocked on a door and led the girl in. "Here she is Emma."  
"Thank you. I'll take it from here." Emma said coolly from behind her desk taking the file that was handed to her.  
"Good luck and welcome to the Stonecreak Auction House." The woman said to Victoria and walked out of Emma's office. She would need it and this would be the last time Victoria saw her.

**Thirteen Years Later.**

The paper in his hands read 1481 Waterstruck Lane. Victor looked up at the warehouse, it had seen better days, but this was the place. Victor approached the gate, snickering at the armed guards, like they could do anything to stop him if he truly wanted. An armed escort was called and he was taken into the rather dilapidated grounds and into the nearest building. At the checkpoint Victor was handed to another armed guard and then shown into a room. The room was brightly lit and had nothing but a metal table with two chairs, one on either side. The light source was behind one of the chairs and there was a person sitting in the chair. Victor couldn't see who it was, he sat down in the available chair. The guard stayed by the door, weapon trained on Victor. Victor laughed at him.

"What's so funny?" asked the guard. Victor couldn't see who it was behind the riot gear, but could tell it was a man.  
"Not much." Victor replied. "Just the fact that you think that gun'll stop me." He laughed again, a fact that unsettled the guard quite a bit.  
"That's enough Mr. Creed." said the man across from him.  
"It's Sabertooth when I'm working." Victor corrected.  
"Alright then, Sabertooth. I have a proposition for you."

Victor listed as the man outlined what he wanted and why he wanted it. He wanted one Professor Charles Xavier killed, for it to look like an accident, and he wanted the dear Professor dead because the man was a threat to how things were shaping up to be run in America. In the past few years, the United States of America had gone full blown anti-mutant, ever since the death of Senator Kelly. That job had been particularly fun and had netted Victor a cool 4.5 million. Getting a mutant to impersonate Kelly for a bit had been a stroke of genius. No mutants were allowed into the country, any known mutants had to be registered. A lot of mutants were leaving the country as quickly and quietly as they could. Most were heading for Canada, due to it's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. At least there, if you could pass for human, you had a better chance of finding work and having a better life. Mexico on the other hand, if you were outed, it could and would get you burned at the stake or beheaded.

Sentinels were sent out to capture mutants on a regular basis. Charles Xavier was one of the louder voices against all of this.  
"Money is no object, I want this man taken care of. I'm not thrilled to using a mutant's help, but I'll do what must be done. It's for the good of the country."  
Victor listened as the man named a price and then began to talk. "Verbena. Calvin Klein's One, you had a steak and baked potato for lunch and a cream flambe for dessert, D.C's finest. You smell of ink, paper, expensive leather and trace amounts of other men's cologne. The flowers are from Arizona and the food's from Marcelline's, a dinner not far from the Senate. You're David Voight." Victor rattled off, smiling the whole time.

The bright light clicked off and the room's regular lights flipped on. Sitting the chair across from him was David Voight, Senator for Arizona and known anti-mutant supporter. The older gentleman had salt and pepper hair, nondescript brown eyes, olive skin and was dressed in a navy colored suit. "You understand that this can't be traced back to me?" the Senator asked.  
"Of course. What you're asking for requires the work of my best employee and she does _not_ come cheap. I'll have a contract drawn up and sent to your hotel room." Victor got up at that point and walked out of the room. "Come on Tex, escort me out." He said to the guard as he walked by.

Marie ran down the street, the angry shouts of others ringing in her ears. "Mutant!" "Freak!" "Monster!" were a small sample of today's favorites that had been thrown at her. Marie's hands were shaking as she pulled her denim jacket closer around her. The guy's hand had brushed hers and the next thing she knew, she was being flooded with thoughts and memories that were not hers.   
"So much for getting lunch today." She muttered to herself as she thought longingly of the bowl of potato soup and bow tie pasta she had been forced to leave behind. Her stomach growled angrily at her at being denied once again. Marie made her way through an alley, stepping around the bits of trash that were in it. At the mouth of the alley, she took a right and ran into a red haired woman.  
"I'm sorry." Marie said automatically and began to back away from her, not wanting to trigger her power again.  
"It's alright, come with me." the woman said, offering Marie a hand.  
"Why?" Marie asked, politely refusing, instead stuffing her hands into her pockets.  
 _"Because I can help you._ the woman replied. Only she hadn't moved her lips, but Marie heard her anyway, clear as a bell in her mind. _I know what it's like to be afraid of what you are."_ the woman said as Marie fell into step beside her. "My name's Jean, by the way, Jean Grey." she finished out loud.  
"Marie." Marie volunteered. "How'd you find me?"  
"I picked up on your fear, decided to intervene. Are you hungry, I haven't eaten yet." Jean replied.  
"Starving." Marie admitted.  
"I know a great place a few blocks over, you'll love it, my treat." Jean said, leading Marie away.

So far things were going as planned. Emma monitored Marie from a far, watching as she met the woman called Jean Grey, more often called Phoenix in the circles that Emma ran in. Emma shifted in her chair as the two talked over lunch. The fake personality that Emma had installed was holding perfectly, the girl really thought she was some street rat mutant runaway named Marie. The low level Psionics in the surrounding life support tubes made it easy for Emma to watch her, all she had to do was tap into their powers to boost her own, and Emma knew every move the girl made and every thought she had.

Including the ones that "Marie" herself was unaware of. "Our best little killer for hire." Emma smiled, watching the lunch in front of her unfold.  
"How long have you had your powers? What can you do?" Jean asked as they ate.  
"As long as I can remember." Marie bit into her sandwich, the cheese, mushrooms and roast beef melting into a gooey delicious mess on her tongue. She had been looking forward to the bow tie pasta from before, she had managed to order it at the new place as well. "I don't know what it is, people just touch my skin and they get hurt. It wears off after a while, but I get a head full of thoughts and memories that aren't mine."  
"Interesting, would you mind if I-" Jean started to ask.  
"No!" Marie choked out, dropping the remains of her sandwich onto the plate. "Sorry, I've never tried it with another mutant and I don't really want to."  
"I wasn't going to ask for that." Jean said gently. "I was just going to ask if you were like to come to where I work. It's a school. For mutants. You could finish your schooling and learn more about your powers, maybe even gain control over them, so you can turn them off when you want to. That's all."  
"Oh." Marie said softly. "Sorry." She picked her sandwich back up and began eating again.  
"That's alright." Jean replied, turning back to hers.  
"What's it like? The school, I mean." Marie asked.  
"It's nice. I teach there, and the people that live there are mutants, like us. It's called Xavier's School for the Gifted. Professor Xavier could help you possibly, if you're interested. At the very least, you'd be able to graduate high school." Jean said.

Emma's mouth dropped open, this is just what they needed. Emma could influence the Marie personality a little bit, but the decision to go would be largely her own. Emma gave her a nudge in the right direction, in the form of wanting to finish school, maybe try college, at most the chance to try and have a normal life again.

Marie smiled at what Jean was saying. "I think I would like that. What's the catch?" She asked warily, while sipping her soda.  
"There is none. We're a legitimate school and we offer a safe haven to any mutant that wants it, are you interested?" Jean asked.  
"Yeah, I am." Marie replied. "What do I need to do?"  
"Finish your food. I'll call ahead and make sure you have a spot available for you." Jean said, getting out her phone.

After Jean had made her call, Marie soon found herself on the way to where the school was in New York state.  
"The mansion is huge, Charles decided to do something good with his money and opened the school. I'm one of his first students, he found me, taught me how to use my powers. I stayed on to help teach others."  
"Powers? You have more then one?" Marie whispered. They were in the back of a sparely filled train car, so chances of being over heard were few, but exercising caution never hurt, it could keep you alive. "And what do you teach?"  
"Some mutants can have more then one power, sometimes that second power is also active, like mine. Sometimes it isn't immediately but can be later in life. I'm not only telepathic, but also telekinetic."

Jean quickly looked around and then demonstrated by having her phone float above the hand she had in her lap. The phone floated in the air for several minutes before Jean let it drop back into her hand.  
Marie swallowed at the power display, looking at Jean and then to her phone. "Wow." she whispered.  
"Yeah." Jean replied. "And I teach high school Biology and college level Chemistry. The school is pre-k all the way through college. For some students, it's rather obvious what they are, so we're set up for all ages. Several of the students that graduate stay and become teachers, but most move on to lead regular lives with the rest of the world."

Soon they were pulling into the train station and Jean and Marie get off, stepping onto the platform.  
"Jean!" Marie heard someone call and began to look for the source.   
A woman dressed in a flowing sliver skirt and white blouse was walking towards them. The skirt had black curling embroidery along the edges and went well with her black boots. She had long white hair that had been braided back and Marie thought she was very pretty.  
"Ororo!" Jean called, waving to the woman. She turned to Marie. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

The two embraced and hugged for a moment. "How are you, how was your trip?" Ororo asked as they pulled apart.  
"Good, good. You didn't need to come get me you know. But I'm glad you did, got someone I want you to meet. Ororo, this is Marie. Marie, this is Ororo Munroe. She teaches at the school with me."  
"Please, call me Storm." Ororo said, holding out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you Marie."  
"You too Miss Munroe, um Storm, sorry." Marie replied, not taking the offered hand.  
"Sorry Storm, if I had known ahead of time that you were going to surprise me like this, I would have told you. Marie's power is activated by skin to skin contact."  
"What kind of friend would I be if I let you come home by yourself?" Storm asked as she brought out a sheer lavender colored scarf from her bag, and began to wrap her hand in it. "For the car ride." She explained and extended her hand again. "Now once again, it is a pleasure to meet you Marie."   
"Marie gently took and shook her hand. "You too Storm."

The ride to the mansion was uneventful and Jean ushered Marie in, while Storm went to park the car.   
"Welcome back Jean, I see our new guest has arrived." Said the Professor as he rolled into the entry way. "Hello Marie." He said, holding out a leather gloved hand. "Welcome to Xavier's School for the Gifted. I'm Charles Xavier."  
"Hello Professor." Marie shook his hand.  
"I hope you enjoy your stay here." Charles replied, smiling at her. "Jean, show her to a guest room. Perhaps after a shower and some rest, a tour of the school is in order."  
"Of course Professor."  
"We can talk more in depth after you've settled in, Marie."  
Marie nodded and followed Jean upstairs, waving goodbye to the Professor.

Jean led Marie to the guest wing, passing several students on the way, many who called hello to them. Jean opened the door to a room and stepped aside to let Marie in. It was a decent sized room and had its own bathroom, which is why Jean picked it for her. Jean followed her in and opened the closet, removing the robe that hung on the inside of the door.  
"Bathroom's through there, should be towels, shampoo and soap already there." She said, handing Marie the robe. "Go ahead and hop in if you want, I'll bring some fresh clothes for you."  
"Thanks."  
"Not a problem." Jean left and Marie went to investigate the bathroom.

The shower was nice and big and there were fresh towels siting on the towel rack, one hanging on the bar below it. Soap, shampoo and conditioner were well stocked and Marie was waiting for the water to warm up when Jean knocked.  
"Come in." Marie called, exiting the bathroom.  
Jean came in arms filled with clothing. "Wasn't really sure what you liked, so I got an assortment." She called, setting the pile on the bed. From what Marie could see, it consisted of jeans, skirts, long sleeved shirts and right on top were several pairs of gloves, all of different fabrics, colors and lengths.  
"Thank you." Marie whispered, very touched by the gift.  
"You're welcome. I'll show you where we keep the extra clothing later in case something doesn't fit or you don't like it. I also brought you these." Jean levitated a few pairs of boots into the room, along with a pair of sneakers and sandals. "Same deal as the clothes. I'll leave you to your shower."

After what Marie deemed the best shower ever, she picked through the clothes and decided to keep several of the jeans, some of the long sleeved shirts, two pairs of boots, one black, one dark green, and all of the gloves. She did keep one skirt, a dark green one that looked good paired up with a black strappy shirt and dark green transparent long sleeved blouse. She thought the black combat boots and the short black gloves looked best with the outfit. She refolded the unwanted clothing and set it aside to be taken back. After putting up her clothing, Marie settled in for a quick nap.

After waking up, Marie heard a knock on the door.  
"Ready for that tour?" Jean asked when Marie opened the door.  
"Let's go." Marie grinned.  
The tour was extensive, Jean showed Marie a lot of the school and answered any of her questions. During the tour Marie found out that Jean was also one of the doctors for the school. Marie also made some adjustments to her clothing collection while they were looking around.  
"I think you're gonna fit in just fine Marie. Let's get you set up for school, we'll see where you belong."

Emma watched as Marie made herself at home in the school. She had made some friends and was beginning to fit in. Emma smiled watching Marie talk with friends and participate in class. It was a shame it couldn't last, she looked so happy. Emma pulled away from her, disconnected from the other Psionics and walked away to report what was happening to Victor.  
"She's completely infiltrated the school, she can strike at anytime now."  
"Good. Keep an eye on her, when she's alone with Xavier, do it then."

Marie had been at the school for a month when she was able to talk to the Professor alone for any length of time. He asked her to join him on a walk in the garden and the two began to discuss her powers at length.  
"I've always had to be careful, but I've noticed that fear makes it worse. I tend to suck up more of a person if either one of us is afraid." Marie said softly.  
"A lot of the time emotions can make out powers stronger, sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it isn't."  
"I'd say it's not." Marie replied. The two walked in companionable silence for a bit.  
"Marie, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to read your mind. It would help me understand your powers and begin to plan where to go from there. I'll understand if you say no, most people don't like the feeling." Charles said, stopping by a koi pond.  
"What's it like?" Marie asked.  
"Tingly, like when your foot or hand falls asleep." Charles said.

Marie watched the fish swim around thinking Charles's offer over, before nodding.  
"Okay, do I need to do anything?" She asked, kneeling in front of him.  
"Just hold still." Charles smiled at her and reached out mentally.

Emma watched and whispered the activation word into Marie's mind. "Bourbon."  
Marie's eyes fluttered as Charles reached inside her head and something inside her clicked into place. When Marie opened her eyes, she knew what to do. She slipped off her glove and cupped Charles's cheek, her power's kicking on and siphoning off of his in a snap.  
"Perfect." Emma's smile grew bigger, as Marie drained the Professor.   
Charles shuddered and gasped, his mind locked up in agony. Marie cried out, the power flooding into her, it was working. Emma pulled back satisfied that Marie would get the results they wanted, there was no need to watch her complete the job, Marie was their top assassin after all.

Marie yanked her hand away, both bodies convulsing, Marie, no _Victoria_ , her name was Victoria, recovering first. Her mind was awash with a lot of information and memories, mainly that help was on the way, and that it was time to get the hell out of there. Victoria staggered to her feet and ran.

"There he is." Jean and Scott ran up to the Professor's body, lying on the ground.  
"He was talking to Marie today, where is she?"

Marie, Victoria, _whoever_ she was, ran with no destination in mind. She couldn't think of one, her mind was too much of a mess, there were too many voices and memories talking at once and _none_ of them would _shut up_. She staggered and dropped to her knees against a tree. She pressed her forehead against the tree trunk and breathed.

Jean and Scott brought Charles back to the mansion and took him to the med lab. Jean soon had him on a bed and began to run test after test. He was alright, just unconscious, his brain waves were there and slowly getting stronger. They just had to wait.  
"Her scent trail leads off campus." Logan said, coming into the med lab. "She also smells like the Professor just a little, I'm not sure if it's because they were together or if her scent changes when she touches someone."  
"That would be an interesting development." Jean muttered, reading the scans from Charles's latest test.  
"How is he?" Logan asked, stepping up to the bed, watching the Professor.  
"Still alive, vitals are all good, brain waves are slowly getting stronger." Jean replied, as she set the test down and made notes on the Professor's chart.  
"I'm going after her, I'll bring her back." Logan said, starting to walk out of the room.  
"Be careful Logan. She's dangerous, we still don't know why she did this." Jean called. The Professor would be fine, but she stayed anyway, just in case.  
"That's why I'm bringing her back." Logan called over his shoulder. "Call me if anything new happens with the Professor."

Her hands were shaking as she wrapped her coat around herself. It had gotten colder the further North she went, so she had stolen a coat and a pair of gloves. The coat was made of green leather and had a hood, made it easier to hide and cover herself. She didn't know where she was, she just knew it wasn't where she had been and it wasn't home yet. She kept walking.

Logan looked around at the crowd of people It had taken some time and he had to threaten a few people with bodily harm, but he had found her. And where she was wasn't good in his book, not by a long shot. He had gotten lucky in hearing about today's auction. Logan skirted the edges of the crowd, slowly making his way through and getting a good spot to watch. They were finishing up with the auction of what appeared to be a tank of water at first glance. The fish in the tank were rather odd and ugly looking. When the water began to churn and froth, before finally rearing up and partially out of the tank, Logan realized that the "fish" were actually internal organs. The tank of water was a person. Perfect for an assassin.

But then this was one of the things his brother's auction house was known for on the black market. If you needed the skills of an assassin, some corporate espionage done, a love slave or a pet, Stonecreek Auctions was the place to go. As far as most people knew, it was a legitimate auction house. The secret to getting into these auctions was either you had enough money to warrant an invitation, or you knew the right people to ask for an invitation. Logan had both, but only used one. The tank of "water" was being rolled off the stage and the girl, Marie was being led on. Her handlers wore leather gloves and long sleeves when walking her onto the stage and seating her on the bar chair that was made available for her. She slumped against the back of the chair, shook her head before opening her eyes again and sitting up straight. She didn't smile, just stared out at the crowd, her face schooling itself into alert blankness.

The auctioneer was none other then Victor himself. Logan suppressed a growl when he stepped onto the stage, a wide smile of his face. Victor always did like being the center of attention.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our last auction of the afternoon. Lot number 1678, our best of the best and the one you've been waiting for, our top assassin, or chameleon. She can be whoever you need her to be, can get whatever you need her to get, and kill whoever you need to, with a touch. Bidding opens at $500,000."

Logan's eyes widened at that. Victor only started at that high of a price if a mutant was truly worth it. The lowest amount he had ever started any auction at was $50,000 and that was for a no name thief from somewhere in Louisiana. From what Logan could remember, the mutants that were deemed the best, were treated like it. They didn't sleep in cages, but had their own set of rooms. It was hard to get to the top, once there, a mutant normally didn't want to give it up. If you wanted the top spot, you either fought or killed for it. The bidding war continued on Marie, the price skyrocketing. Another way to get what you wanted was to just buy it, but the auctions were more fun.

She sat on the stage and listened as Victor talked about what she could do and began the bidding. Her mind swam and the voices drifted in and out, one of them rather persistent.

_"Why are you doing this? Do you enjoy it?"_  
 **"Shut up."** she thought back. Since absorbing the Professor, not only would he not shut up, but he had unlocked all the others she had touched in her line of work. The only good thing about it, was that when everyone got to be too overwhelming, his abilities could be used to put them into submission. She didn't like talking to him a whole lot, things could get confusing sometimes, particularly when he called her Marie, that wasn't her name, thank you very much.  
 _"Then what would you prefer to be called, what's your real name?"_ he asked.  
 **"None of your business."** she thought back.

It had gotten so bad that she couldn't remember her real name anymore, though the voices in her head threw several at her.  
Maryanne, Summer, Gina, Rebecca, none of them were her, she thought.  
 **"You can call me Rogue."** she decided.  
 _"Very well then, Rogue, why do you do this?"_ he asked again.  
 **"Because it's my job."**  
 _"Do you enjoy it? Being someone, some **thing** else? Never really knowing who you really are?"_  
 **"Who I am doesn't matter. What I am does. It makes me useful and keeps me alive."**

There was a pause, she could tell he was thinking, and that was a strange feeling all together, knowing when one of her victims was thinking about what she had just said.  
 _"It makes you expendable. Someday someone will kill you and you'll have left very little behind. Don't you want to do something meaningful with your life?"_ he asked.  
 **"I am, now be quiet. I need to pay attention to this."** she snapped.

She tuned in as Victor was slamming his gavel down.  
"Sold to the lady in the back for 5.6 million. Please leave your information with the Record Keeper in the front office, we'll be in touch soon."  
She had a new job and would be reading the file on it soon, probably tonight, and then the woman would be sent a contract to go over and sign.

Another day, another dollar.  
Another dead body.

As her handlers came, she saw a man in the crowd. He was staring right at her and his gaze seemed to go right through her. He watched her leave, his eyes tracking every move of hers. Logan didn't approve of what his brother did. Selling your own kind for one's own gain just felt wrong. He quickly and quietly made his way through the crowd of people left on the floor, turning in the direction that Marie had been taken. Logan knew better then to try to go through the front door, it would only draw attention to himself and the fewer people that knew he was here, the better.

It had been the better part of twenty years since he had seen, let alone talked to Victor, the longer Logan could move about unknown and unseen, the better his chances would be at bringing Marie back to the mansion or at least, at getting her out of here. He owed her that at the very least. After studying the doors she went through, Logan turned around and walked away. Through the front doors was suicide, they were steel triple reinforced, triple locked doors. You not only had to have a key, but also go through a hand scan, eye scan and DNA test to open them. It could be overridden, but the only times that ever was, was when they had a rather large auction going on, today had been small in comparison. And while he could have easily cut his way through the door, it meant leaving behind a _huge_ calling card saying that he was here. Which meant Victor would know and make things harder for him. Sneakiness was the name of this game. It was just going to take a little time was all, not a whole lot, but some.

She sat cross legged on the living room floor of her suite. She had lit some rain scented incense and put on some tranquil music. Meditation seemed to help the vortex of voices in her head frankly shut the hell up. Well except for the Professor's, he was there as always, but did like how the relaxation techniques helped her relax. She poked at his abilities again and grinned to herself as the others became more quite and began to fit more easily into the boxes she had put them in to begin with. Everything was still a mess in her head, but slowly was starting to look like a mess with a purpose. There was a knock on her door and she got up to answer it, turning off the music on her way to the door.  
It was Emma and she had a packet in her hand, which she handed over. "Your next assignment. How's your head? You look a great deal better then when you came back."

The girl had been a mess when she had finally made her way back home. She had been speaking in languages that weren't her native one and remembering things that weren't hers at all. She could have sworn that her brain was going to leak its way out of her ears before too long. The Professor had gone silent while Emma tried to help her.  
 _"Don't tell her the truth."_ he whispered, before going dormant and appearing like all the others, a copy of himself, one that with time would fade like a photo. It was a shame his imprint was really more along the lines of a full technicolor streaming video, loud and two inches away from you.

She kept her mouth shut and waited for Emma to pull back. "Too many people." she said before falling asleep on the bed the doctors had given her.

Coming back to the present, she nodded in the affirmative and opened the packet after thanking Emma. The job was relatively easy, just a case of corporate espionage, Company A wants to overtake Company B etc, etc. The CEO of Company A had sent his secretary to procure her services. She met him a few days later and got into the limo that was waiting outside the auction house.  
"He has a thing for young women, you'll do nicely."  
"Thank you." she replied, brushing a bit of lint off the leg of her pantsuit.

Logan watched the limo pull away and followed on his bike. As soon as the limo gained and maintained a good speed, Logan glanced at the bike in regret, Scott would kill him for this. Good thing Logan could pay him back. He glanced at the bike and then at the limo a couple cars ahead, he could hear what was going on inside just a bit. After he switched lanes to be next to the limo, Logan pulled ahead and then whipped around to hit the limo head on. There was a crunch and squeal of metal as the bike hit and Logan went through the windshield of the limo. The driver screamed and slammed on the breaks, the force of which made both the girl and the CEO slide around in the back like ping pong balls.

Logan groaned as he began to situate himself. The windshield was a total loss, as was the bike, and at least half of the front end of the limo. The divider between the front and the back was badly cracked, one good punch would shatter it. The driver, while injured, was still awake and began to reach for his gun. Logan quickly grabbed the guy, broke his wrist and slammed his head against the steering wheel, turning the guy unconscious. Punching out the divider, Logan slid into the back of the limo.  
"Who are you?" the man demanded.  
"I'm the guy you hit with your limo." Logan growled. "I'm also the guy that has business with her." He continued, sliding a claw under the CEO's chin. "You gonna interfere with that?"  
The CEO swallowed noisily and carefully shook his head no. "Take her, she's all yours."  
"Good. Get out." Logan sheared open one of the back doors and kicked it open. The other man scrambled to get out.

The girl watched Logan, heart stuck in her throat, as she tried to swallow her fear.   
Logan took one look at her and rumbled "You're coming with me, no funny stuff, you _will_ regret it."  
She began to move towards the door the CEO went out.  
"No, the other one." Logan said, cutting through the other door, it let out onto the sidewalk. Logan followed her out and began to walk. "When we get to this intersection, take a right and walk two blocks." He told her before vanishing into an alley. "I'll know if you don't." He called back, not waiting to see if she would. The girl did as she was told, the voices quieter then normal. At the second block, she met him at the mouth of another alley.  
"Take the next left and go for another three blocks. Go into the coffee shop on the right side of the street." Logan said.  
"How can you tell there's a coffee shop nearby?" she asked.  
"I can smell it from here." Logan informed her.  
 _"Holy crap."_ she thought blinking once.  
 **"That's not all he can do"** The Professor whispered in her ear. She nodded to herself and began walking again. She found the coffee shop right where he said it was and went in. Logan followed a few minutes later.

She was sitting at a table by the window, after ordering a cup of coffee (black, no cream, no sugar) Logan joined her.  
"Are you going to hurt me?" She asked softly.  
"After what you did to the Professor, I should drag you back kicking and screaming." Logan snorted, drinking his coffee. He looked at her over the rim of his cup. "No. I'm not going to hurt you."  
 _"He telling the truth?"_ she thought.  
 **"Yes. He won't hurt you unless you give him reason to."** Charles responded, quietly watching the conversation from the back of her head. If she concentrated enough, she swore she could feel where he was sitting. Things were becoming less scrambled in her mind, everyone was sorted and staying in the boxes she put them in. The wall that Emma had made was being rebuilt and reinforced, this time it was stronger, better. Her personality was still a mess but one thing at a time.  
 **"His name is Logan."** Charles said softly.  
 _"I know him by another."_ she replied. "You're Wolverine, aren't you?" She whispered, fingers drumming on the table top. "Victor's brother, the one that doesn't approve of what he does."  
Logan nodded. "What do you know about that?"  
"Just what's been whispered since forever. You're like us, but wanted nothing to do with the auction house, so you left. No one really knows much about you, except for that. Victor doesn't like to talk about you. Those that start to ask too many questions, tend to disappear."  
"How long is forever?" Logan set his cup down.  
"Since I was three."  
 _"Three?_ Jesus, how old are you kid, what is it you do exactly for Victor anyway?" Something inside Logan just choked at the thought of her being under Victor for that long.  
"Seventeen. And you were at the auction, you should know the answer to that question." she replied.  
"You're right, I do know the answer." He also knew that eventually something would happen and she would die. It was just a matter of time, Law of the Jungle ruled in this house. He drained his coffee cup. "You have a name? Jean called you Marie."  
"That's not me. Not anymore, I think."  
"Then what is it?" Logan asked.  
"Rogue."  
"Fine. Do you actually like what you do? Killing people, I mean?"

"That's the second time I've been asked that." Rogue said.  
Logan looked at her. "Really?" He flagged down a waitress and ordered a sandwich and another cup of coffee. "Want anything?"  
Rogue ordered the special of the day, a cup of soup, sandwich and coffee. "The Professor asked the same question during my auction. He's still in here, I can feel him. I can still use his powers, he helps make everyone else shut up. He says you're alright, that I should trust you. I'm wondering why I should."  
"I'd listen to him and I'd answer the question. Do you like what you do?" Logan replied.  
"I honestly don't know anymore. I don't even know who _I_ am anymore." she admitted.  
"Then let me help you. First thing is to get you away from Victor." At that point their food came and they began to eat.  
"How? He'll be expecting me back, with a head full of what my assignment knows." She picked up the soup cup and began to eat.  
"But not for a few days at least right? That gives us time to plan a bit and leave." Logan asked.  
She nodded. "Three days tops on this one."  
"Good, we leave tonight."  
The two began to plan awhile they ate.

"I need to see Sabertooth right now." The man leaned against the secretary's desk, breathing hard and trying to catch his breath.  
"He's in a meeting right now, you'll need to take a seat. What is this in regard to?"  
"My investment and the fact that she just ran off." the man growled.  
The sectary's eyes widened. "She what?" This did _not_ happen. Investments did their jobs and came home, they just didn't leave. She picked up the phone and called Victor. After a rather tense and hushed conversation, she told the CEO that he could go in to see Victor.

Once he entered the office, Victor motioned for him to sit. "What happened exactly?" Victor asked.  
The CEO explained that he had picked the girl up and was explaining what he wanted done, when they got into a wreck. "And the guy we hit, survived and threatened me with _actual_ claws."  
"Claws?" Victor asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Metal? Three of them?"  
The man nodded. "Yeah."  
"Get out." Victor dismissed him with a wave.  
"But what about-"  
"It'll be taken care of." Victor pressed a button on his desk. "Kylie, set up a contract with Mystique for our client." Pushing back his chair, Victor got up and showed the other man the door. "Kylie will set up the new contract for you, consider the money you paid, going towards that."  
"This Mystique better be worth it." he replied, stepping through the door.  
"She is, every penny."  
When Victor saw Mystique after the man had left, he told her to kill him after the job. It wasn't a good idea for bad press to get out about his house, after all.

Logan glanced at the girl as he drove. She was asleep, had been for a couple of hours. They had been on the road for about a day and a half now. They were close to the cabin, he had bought it a couple years ago, closest thing resembling civilization was a small town twenty miles away from it. They'd stop for supplies there. As it was, they needed gas. He tapped her leg.  
"Hey, we need to get gas, time to wake up."  
Rogue twitched and yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "We there yet?"  
"Almost. About another 30 or so minutes." Logan replied, pulling into a gas station. "If you want to stretch your legs, now would be the time."

Victor studied the video feed in front of him, irritation in his eyes. It was Logan and he had been here. There wasn't much footage, he had managed to avoid most of the cameras, but with what little there was, Victor had been able to identify Logan. Victor growled in frustration and left the video room.

They reached the cabin soon and began to unpack, both moving around the kitchen putting things away, before Rogue wandered around the cabin, checking things out. There was the kitchen, the front door opened into it, a living room off to the left, a room the Logan had turned into a library to the right of the kitchen and down a hall were two bedrooms that shared a bathroom between them, Logan found Rogue in the library, looking at all the books he had, the walls were covered in them.  
 _"Never thought he'd be a reader."_ she mused.  
 **"Logan is a rather multi faceted person."** the Professor replied. **"He's more then just a killer for hire. You can be too."**  
 _"I just want to remember who I am."_  
 **"He's started to, let us help you."**  
"Why do I get the feeling I'm being left out of the conversation?" Logan asked from the doorway.  
"What gave it away?" Rogue asked back.  
"You've been holding that copy of _Treasure Island_ in your hand for the past several minutes and staring into space." Logan replied. "What are you two talking about?"  
"Remembering who I am. The Professor says that you know something about that?"

Logan nodded. "I remember Victor and what he does and that I didn't care for it, so I left. Most is in bits and pieces, but I do remember all of that," The two talked into the night, sometimes about nothing, sometimes about a book on the shelf, on occasion Charles would speak, but he mainly stayed quiet, letting the other two get to know each other more.

Victor groaned to himself, tracking them down was beginning to wear on him. He had managed to do it, but it had taken time and some serious money. He stared at the address on the paper before him for some cabin in the middle of nowhere in Canada. He picked up the phone and dialed. "I need you to do a job for me."

"Hey Logan, I'm making lunch, you want some?" Rogue called, as she put together a sandwich.  
"Yeah, what are you making?" Logan asked, coming into the kitchen, his arms full of firewood. They didn't need it now, but being prepared never hurt.  
"Turkey and cheese." Rogue spread mustard on the top slice of bread.  
"Make two for me." Logan set the wood in the living room next to the fireplace.  
"Mayo or mustard?" Rogue asked.  
"One of each."  
The two were eating when Rogue saw a red dot on the table. "What?"  
Logan paused in eating, his ears picking up the sound of a round being chambered. The gunshot sounds like thunder even from a mile away.  
The window shattered and Logan shoved Rogue out of the way, the bullet hitting him instead of her. Logan groaned as the bullet hit his back and slammed into muscle, wincing as his body began to work to force the bullet out. "I _hate_ being shot." he panted. "You okay?"  
Rogue nodded and the bullet, now a useless lump of metal, hit the floor with a pinging sound.

"What the hell was that?" Logan growled, throwing open the door and running outside, claws extended. "Stay inside." he called over his shoulder, sniffing the air. Logan scanned the clearing, the sound of running reaching his ears.

Logan turned to the sound and jumped into the woods, grabbing the person that was heading towards them. The person, whoever it is, is soon on the ground with Logan's claws under their chin and one of Logan's hands holding them down. Logan pulled the assassin's mask off, revealing a curly haired blond girl. Logan hauled the blond to her feet, calling for Rogue.  
"You know her?" Logan asked as she came towards them.  
"Her name's Roulette." Rogue replied. "If she's here, it means Victor found us. He sends her to take care of anyone that runs."  
"Hello Victoria, sorry to meet you like this."  
"Quiet." Logan growled at her.  
"Roulette." Rogue replied, ignoring the name. "How long ago did Victor assign you?"  
"Been watching you for a few days." Roulette admitted. She shifted her weight, wincing when Logan tightened his grip.  
Rogue sighed and touched a finger to Roulette's cheek. After a minute, the blonde assassin slumped to the ground and Rogue yanked her hand away, shuddering and shaking her hands. "We need to go, the sooner the better."

After taking care to subdue and restrain Roulette, Rogue and Logan were on the road and headed back to the school. Rogue was nervous about going back, but the sooner she did, the better it would be for both herself and the Professor. The Professor was helping keep everyone in line and maintaining the piss poor wall that Emma had put up in Rogue's mind. Well the wall was actually very good for a psychic of Emma's caliber; but with the absorption of Charles, it had broken and adding Roulette hadn't helped. The sooner Rogue got back, the sooner the Professor could put himself back into his body. All they really had to do was stay ahead of Victor and anyone he sent after them. Or if he came after them himself.

It felt instantaneous and like it took forever, but they were soon pulling up to the gate of the school. Logan punched in the code and the gate swung open allowing them inside. It had started to rain on the way back and had settled down into a misty drizzle, Logan wiped a hand across his window and wiped the condensation off on his jeans.  
"How you holding up over there?" he asked.  
"I'm fine. The Professor feels a little tired though, the sooner we get him into his body, the better he'll be."

They were half way up the winding drive, when something darted in front of their truck and slammed into it, forcing the truck off the road and into a tumble. The truck landed on it's roof before sliding and stopping at an angle against some trees. The windshield was cracked all the way across and the windows had broken on both sides, bits of glass still in the frames. The engine ticked as it cooled and both passengers coughed and looked at each other, grateful for their seat belts.  
"Still okay over there?" Logan asked  
"Well other then the crash, yeah. What was that?" Rogue asked, shaking her head.  
"No idea." Logan replied, sliding his claws out to cut them loose. "Whatever it was, it was big."

It was then that a pair of feet became visible as they walked towards the truck. "Oh, I know what it was." Came a voice from outside, as a glove covered fist punched out the rest of the glass on Rogue's window, reached in and dragged her out.  
"There you are!" exclaimed Victor, mock happily as he adjusted his grip around Rogue's neck, and proceeded to carry her down the road. "It's not that I mind that you left, it's not like I _raised_ you after all, but I do want to know why. I mean you had it _good_ , why leave all that?"  
"Because I want to know who I am. You never let me." Rogue choked out, kicking at Victor.  
"Know who you are?" Victor laughed. "I could have told you _that_. You're whoever I want you to be. Whatever is needed, whenever it's needed. _That_ is who you are."

Victor threw her to the ground, kicking her in the ribs. "You are _nothing_."  
Rogue gagged and tried to draw in a breath as it all rushed out of her. Victor kicked again and she felt something snap in her ribcage, fire spreading through her body, he had broken at least one rib and cracked maybe two others. She coughed and forced herself to her hands and knees. Blood spattered the pavement that wasn't good, not at all. Victor yanked her to her feet, twisting one arm behind her back and wrapped one hand around her throat, beginning to choke the life out of her.  
"She's not nothing." A voice growled behind them. Victor whipped around, holding Rogue, Logan had snuck up on them. That's what he got for not paying attention.  
"She doesn't know what she is." Victor snorted, his hand tightening so that Rogue's breathing sounded like a whistle. "Keep walking closer, I don't mind strangling her, instead of what I had planned."  
 _"Help us!"_ Rogue mentally screamed.  
 _"We're coming. Try to stay calm, keep Sabertooth busy."_ Jean called to her.

Victor dragged the last bit of air from Rogue's lungs and she gasped, trying to draw breath. Her hand flailed out, desperately seeking bare skin, it didn't matter what part. She latched onto something and pulled hard, willing her power to activate. It hit Victor like a punch to the gut and he clawed her ribs in response. Rogue howled in pain, yelping as Victor tossed her to the ground again to get away from her, the impact doing no good on her ribs and the rush of blood and memories playing havoc with her body.

_"Remember, it's a simple snatch and grab. Get the kid, kill the parents, that's all." Victor reminded his cohorts. "Nothing else, the girl is the only important thing." They all slid on face masks and went to work._

_Two bodies lay on the ground, one in the living room and one in the hallway, blood pooling under them. Their deaths had been relatively simple and easy, a knife through the heart, they bled out in seconds.  
"Grab the kid." One of the men growled, kicking over a body to make sure._

The wounds to Rogue's ribs knitted closed and her skin itched as it healed. She couldn't see the fight going on around her, nor did she hear the others arrive. All she could see was inside her head.

_"Victoria, you need to hide, now." her mother told her. "Some very bad men are coming and I need to keep you safe." Mommy had picked her up out of bed, ran down to her parent's bedroom, placing her in the closet, blanket and all. "Stay here, be quiet." Mommy said. "Like a mouse, okay?" She quickly moved a few things in front of the corner Victoria was in and shut the door. Victoria huddled in the corner in the dark and tried her hardest to block out the sounds of a fight going on in the living room._

_The sound of the bedroom door being kicked open made her flinch and cry out, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep silent. It didn't work, the closet door was yanked open and she was pulled out._  
"I got her! Let's go!" the man yelled.  
The girl was bundled into a car and driven off into the night. 

Logan crept closer to Rogue, she wasn't moving, had hardly moved from where she had landed in an untidy sprawl on the ground. He gathered her up as gently as he could, he could hear her still breathing, but that was it. She didn't even respond when he touched her. Logan pulled her away from the fight and touched a hand to her cheek. Victor had yanked her away too fast to do permanent damage to either of them, but Logan figured every little bit of healing power helped. Mentally apologizing to her, Logan let her powers begin to absorb him.

_"You started taking children? Why Victor? Isn't it enough to be one of the best auction houses on the circuit? Why do you need to do this?" Logan asked, storming into Victor's office. "What good comes of it? At least the adults had a choice and were compensated for their time."_  
"They're human. The children are like us, they'll last longer and who's to say they won't be compensated?" Victor replied, looking up from the newest batch of folders to come across his desk. They all matched to a child downstairs in the holding rooms.  
"They deserve better, not to be your puppets to dance to whatever whim is desired of them." Logan growled.  
"They will be taken care of, educated and when they're old enough, released with compensation to go where they wish." Victor replied. "Really Logan, I don't see why you're so upset about this."  
"You won't just let them go, you'll have them disposed of. I'll have no part in this. I refuse to be a part of this house, if this is what you're going to turn it into."  
"If that's how you feel Logan, you're welcome to leave."  
Logan tossed down his keys to the house and pass card, stalking out of the room.  
"Call Stryker. Let him know that Logan's on the move." Victor said, pushing a button on his desk intercom to his secretary.  
"Yes sir, Mr. Creed." came the tinny reply. 

Logan fell next to Rogue, his body convulsing in agony. Rogue twisted next to him, the memories ripping through her brain. The fight was still going, but Victor could see that he was on the losing side and decided to cut his losses and run. He took off through the woods, vanishing into the mist and fog. Both Logan and Rogue were taken to the medlab. Jean soon had them on beds and began the process of checking their vital signs. Logan was beginning to recover, his heartbeat and breathing were steady, a bit shallow on the breathing, but good. Jean left him in the hands of Hank and Kurt. He was still unconscious, but would make a full recovery.

Rogue however, was a mess, her body was fine, both Victor's and Logan's powers had saved her. But mentally, it was utter chaos inside her head, Jean yanked herself back after a brief look, flinching as she did so.  
"God, I don't see how she can stand it." she gasped. "It's nothing but noise in there, too many people fighting over too little space."  
They were going to make her more comfortable when Rogue sat up, her eyes flashing, and turned toward the bed where the Professor lay. She got up and began to walk stiffly towards him, as if she wasn't in total control of her movements. Scott moved to stop her, just because he carried her in, didn't mean he would let her hurt the Professor again.

"No Scott!" She cried out, but her voice was wrong, it was a blend of Rogue's voice and the Professor's. "It's alright. I can handle this." Charles walked Rogue's body over to his and placed her hand on his cheek. After a moment, he gasped and collapsed next to the bed. At first Rogue's powers worked like they normally would, the veins in Charles's body standing out, before it began to happen to Rogue's instead. Rogue's hand tightened on the Professor and she screamed as everything flowed out of her for the first time ever.

The Professor's body jerked and shuddered, the heart monitor going crazy as Charles opened his eyes and Jean moved to help him. The beeping slowed down and the Professor assured her that he was fine. "Check her." he rasped. "I think she needs you more."  
With her mind, Jean lifted Rogue back onto her bed, and left Charles in Scott's hands.

"Where am I?" Rogue asked groggily some time later. She looked around, her vision coming into focus. "Hello?" she called, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.  
"Good, you're up." Jean smiled, coming over to Rogue's bed. She began to check Rogue's eyes and heartbeat. "How do you feel?"  
"Alright I guess." Rogue mumbled. "What happened? It's all quiet in my head."  
Jean explained what had happened a few days before hand. How the Professor had taken control of Rogue's body and used her powers to put himself back in his own body.  
"And he took all the other personalities with him." Jean put up the last of the equipment and helped Rogue sit up.

"What will happen to them?" Rogue asked, getting to her feet and getting dressed in fresh clothes.  
"The other personalities have been shoved down into his subconscious, he'll sort them out, and over time they'll disappear. The longer you were exposed to them, the longer it'll take for them to leave. But eventually, they'll all be gone." Jean replied as they walked out of the lab and took the elevator up to the main floor. "You're welcome to stay up here, but if you start feeling strange, get Hank, Kurt, or myself. We'll take you back down to the lab and see what's wrong. That okay?"  
Rogue nodded. "Thanks. I know you didn't have to do this, but thank you anyway."  
Jean smiled. "You're welcome Rogue. I'd be a bad doctor if I wasn't willing to help when it was needed. And if you're looking for Logan, I think he's out by the lake, but before you go, I know Charles wants to see you. He's in his study." Jean pointed out where it was and Rogue knocked on the door.

"Come in Rogue." he called through the door.  
Rogue did so and he motioned for her to sit down."You wanted to see me she asked."  
"Yes. I wanted to see how you are, everything all right?" Charles asked as he put aside some papers on his desk.  
"Everything's good. Jean gave me the okay to be out of the lab. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I did to you and thank you for giving me a second chance. I know what I did was inexcusable." Rogue apologized.  
"It's alright Rogue, Logan explained everything, and you are welcome to stay here if you wish. And don't worry about the rest of the house, as far as they know, you were under Emma's control when the incident occurred. You aren't the only one here with a checkered past, they'll respect you're privacy and leave it alone." Charles smiled at her. "I just have one question for you."  
He slid an application for the school across the desk to her. "What do you want to do?"

"Heard you were up and about." Logan said as Rogue walked down the dock toward him.  
"Yeah, talked to the Professor." Rogue replied.  
"What'd he say?" Logan tossed out his fishing line.  
"I can stay for one and I'm officially a student, I can finish high school here."  
Logan smiled at that and began to reel in his line. Nothing was biting, no fish in the lake, but the motion was soothing and he liked it. "Good. What name are you using?"  
"I'm thinking of using Marie. I don't really feel like Victoria, I don't really remember who she's supposed to be anymore."  
"Well now would be a good time to find who you want to be.." Logan cast the line again. "Whoever Marie is or is going to be, I'd lay good odds on her being a damn nice person and someone I'd want to know."  
Rogue smiled. "Me too, Logan. Me too."

The End


End file.
